"Amid all the junk food, eating healthy on campus not impossible"

A calorie-loaded dining hall brunch or a slice of pizza for dinner sounds enticing, especially when a meal plan makes them the easiest daily options. But when students are concerned about a healthy diet, many at UB have discovered it can be difficult to follow a good eating regimen on campus.

Amidst all the food that makes a student's conscience feel guilty, there are other options to try. To some degree it's a matter of being more selective in the residence hall dining areas, but it can also be as simple as keeping a stock of healthy foods in the dorm or apartment refrigerator.

Janice Cochran, a campus nutritionist and dietician for the Wellness Center, said that in order to make healthy eating as easy as possible, it's important to be prepared.

Stocking dorm rooms and apartments with basic foods that make up a wholesome meal are a great way to start the path to a healthier diet, she said. Pasta, rice, whole grain bread, and other foods with high fiber content - it's merely a matter of remembering a few things from that high school health class everyone slept through. Salad ingredients, canned beans, milk, yogurt and cheese should also make the list.

Vegetables are also an essential part of cooking, and any type will do, although some students think that frozen vegetables are not as nutritious as fresh ones.

"I would choose to eat fresh vegetables over frozen ones because who knows how long those frozen vegetables have been sitting around," said Jennie Fernando, a sophomore legal studies major.

However, Cochran said that any vegetable is better than none at all, so she advises students not to shy away from those packed in cans or in the freezer section.

For students looking for healthy tips, the Internet is always a good bet, but there is also Wellness Education Services in the Student Union, which also offers a variety of books on healthy meal ideas. For example, pitas make for simple student meals: they're easy to stuff, and the whole-wheat aspect means good carbohydrates. They can be stuffed with anything from tuna or lunchmeat to making it a vegetable pita with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, avocadoes, or any vegetable of choice. Adding spicy mustard or light mayo can enhance the flavor.

Another option is to top a sub or wrap with a choice of deli meat, lettuce, and vegetables to make a healthy lunch.

However, if dining hall food and campus food do not spark the health nut in you, there are easy recipes that can be made in the dorms that boast taste and nutrition. Cochran also stresses the importance of fruits as valuable to have on hand because they can easily replace a sugary dessert.

Making different choices in drinks is also a step in the direction to eating healthier. Some students choose to drink milk, juice, or water instead of soda.

Even foods like the classic macaroni and cheese meal can be made healthier with the use of a reduced-fat recipe. Students can use skim milk instead of two percent milk, and only add half the margarine the directions call for. By combining the existing noodles with any other noodles you have and a bag of frozen broccoli, students can even add a serving of vegetables to their meal.

Adding a vegetable and reducing the fat cuts the calories of the old macaroni and cheese by one-third, and the fat by two-thirds.

Some students use their own recipes for the well-liked macaroni and cheese as an alternative to eating in the dining halls.

"I hate it, it's not filling enough. That's why I cook. It's also a good idea to cook extra food if you have time, especially if your hunger isn't satisfied in the dining hall. That way you can heat up leftovers in the microwave for a few days," said Saida Gordon, a freshman English and legal studies major.

Gordon makes her macaroni and cheese from scratch in the dorm kitchen by mixing melted margarine, milk, flour, and cheese with cooked noodles.

Although the food offered in the dining halls isn't always appetizing, some students feel that food offered on campus can appeal to the healthy eater.

"I think eating healthy on campus and in the dining halls is easy as long as people make the right choices. Getting a salad is a great way to start and you can find salads everywhere on campus, including the dining halls," said Alka Kuruvilla, senior biological sciences major.

Cochran said it is easy to ignore the healthy options available in our dining halls in favor of fat and sugar, but it is just as easy to quickly whip up a healthy meal that will do a body good and keep the conscience feeling guilt-free.